Notes and Editorial Reviews

Maurizio Pollini’s new account of this torrential masterpiece is the expected distillation of heroic pianism and confessional insight.

Abbado’s black-browed orchestral introduction has enough bite and vitriol to make Pollini’s understated first entry seem bitterly resigned, and his traversal of the epic opening Maestoso (21:02) is marginally slower than in his 1980 recording with Böhm and the VPO, available in DG’s Galleria series. The new Adagio lacks something of the heavenly stasis attained previously, and at 12:11 seems occasionally hurried. Pollini’s 13:23 with Böhm, or Andsnes and Rattle at 14:08 are nearer the mark, though the siren voices of the Berlin solo horn and winds add special rapture here, and aRead more quicker basic pulse certainly sustains the urgent character of the work.

The Hungarian sonata-rondo finale mirrors the 1980 performance so closely that Pollini devotees won’t need to ditch his earlier account for this remake, a live recording from Vienna’s Musikverein, which affords no great gains over its digitised predecessor.

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